Braiding machine



April 16, 1957 A. CROSSLEY ETAL I BRAIDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 7, 1954 1 0 c \d Uf V 0 6d 4 MW f I 7 a b ,I w F "/6 nhw w m April 16, 1957 AJCROSSLEY ET AL 2,788,700

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed A ril 7, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 O i. CPOQSQS 56y H11. C1 0 65 L0 5/ If. CFO 6:5 L6 9 A ril 16, 1957 A. CROSSLEY ETAL 2,738,700

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed April 7, 1954 4 Sheets-Shee t s April 16, 1957 A. CROSSLEY ETAL 2,788,700 BBAIDING MACHINE Filed April 7,. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A, CD056 le z 61065 Z'e z/ HCz oss circle.

United States Patent BRAIDING MACHINE Arthur Crosslcy, Henry Morton Crossley, and Harold Crossley, Astley Bridge, Bolton, England; said Harold Crossley assignor to said Arthur Crossley and said Henry Morton Crossley Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,536 Claims priority, application Great Britain May 21, 1953 5 Claims. (Cl. 87-50) This invention relates to braiding machines of the type in which two series of spindle or bobbin carrier units for the yarn packages travel in two defined continuous tracks around horn gears arranged in a circle, the tracks following approximately the pitch lines of the gears and crossing each other at each point where the gears intermesh. This type of machine produces a tubular braid and is used in the electric cable industry and in the cordage, engine packing and other trades and industries.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved braiding machine for producing a tubular textile or wire product with a thicker wall of interlocked yarn or wire than can be produced by present machines in a single operation, the machine having a high output capacity and being also capable of adequately covering or insulating a number of individual cores which are being formed into a multi-coreelectric cable in the machine.

In accordance with our invention, we provide a plurality of concentric circles of horn gears, with each gear in the outer circle intermeshing with a gear in the inner circle or with a gear in an intermediate circle which meshes with a gear in the inner circle. Where there are several intermediate circles, a gear in an outer intermediate circle engages with a gear in an inner intermediate There are fixed diverter plates co-axial with the gears, fixed star plates in the spaces between the gears and guide plates within the area bounded by the inner circle of gears and outside the area bounded by the outer circle of gears, the diverter plates, star plates and guide plates producing tracks, the notches of the horn gears being so positioned relatively to one another and to the diverter plates and star plates, that two or more even number of series of spindle or bobbin carrier units pass successively through tracks from the outer to the inner circle of gears, and through the intermediate circle or circles of gears when such are employed, one half of the number of series of spindle or bobbin carrier units passing continuously in one circular direction and alternating with the other half of the number of series which pass continuously in the other circular direction, the ratio of notches in the outer circle of gears to the notches in the inner circle of gears being 5 to 3, and the notches in any intermediate circle of gears being four or a greater even number.

Each spindle unit in travelling in its track in one direction from the outer side of the outer circle of gears to the inner side of the inner circle of gears leaves a strand which crosses a plurality of strands laid by spindles advancing in the opposite direction and also crosses one or more strands which have been laid by spindles advancing in the same direction, a particular strand crossing in alternation strands advancing in the opposite direction and strands advancing in the same direction around the machine axis. Each spindle in advancing around the machine axis in a spiral path comes successively to the exterior and to the interior of the co-axial circles of gears.

There are preferably at least four spindle units in each Patented Apr. 16, 19rd? ice track between any successive positions at. which the track comes to the outer face of the co-axial circles of gears.

Referring to the accompanying explanatory drawings:

Figure l is a plan view showing a braiding machine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing diagrammatically the paths followed by the spindle or bobbin carrier units in the machine shown in Figures 1 and 2 and therefore the general pattern of the yarn or wire produced by the machine when the yarn or wire is drawn to the centre as shown in Figure l to produce a braided tube.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the general arrangement of the tracks for the spindle or bobbin carriers of a machine having three circles of horn gears intermeshing with one another to produce a braided material.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of a spindle or bobbin carrier used in the present machine.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the spindle or bobbin carrier, the View being taken looking from the left to the right in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional plan on the line 5-5 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the diverter plate positioned above each gear of the outer circle.

Figure 9 is a plan view or" a diverter plate positioned above each gear of the inner circle, and

Figure 10 is a vertical View showing the manner whereby the diverter plates are fixed coaxially with the gears of the outer circle.

In Figures 1 and 2, the outer circle of gears 12 may mesh with one another and constitute the main drive, or the inner circle of gears d may mesh with one another and constitute the main drive. Each outer circle gear a has associated and rigid therewith a disc or plate b, with five radial slots or notches c therein. The inner circle of gears .d have each associated and rigid therewith a disc or plate e, with three radial slots or notches ,t therein.

There is associated with each outer gear wheel and each inner gear Wheel which constitutes a pair in radial relationship, a pair of gear wheels by which the outer gear drives the inner gear of the pair or vice-versa, and by reason of the close proximity of the gear wheels in the two circles of gears, it is necessary in order to avoid interference to have the gear wheels for the inter-drives in three planes, one for the master drive of all the inner or outer circle of gear wheels and two others for the individual drives of the outer to the inner or vice-versa of spindles has therefore two gear wheels thereon and each of the outer spindles has one gear wheel only thereon. Summarising, the upper gear wheels on the inner spindles effect the drive between the said spindles and the other gear wheels on the inner spindles, which alternate in height between medium and low, to drive the outer spindles.

Coaxial with and above each gear of the Outer circle is a diverter plate g (Figure 10) with three diverting points h thereon as shown in Figure 8 and there are diverter plates i above and coaxial with the inner circle of gears and each diverter plate i (see Figure 9) has three diverting points j. The plates i are fixed coaxially with the gears d of the inner circle in the same manner as shown in Figure 10.

There are star plates k in the spaces between the gears and there are guide plates m, 11, respectively within the area bounded by the inner circle of gears and outside the area bounded by the outer circle of gears. The plates in, n, the diverter plates g and i and the star plates k are all in the same plane and serve between them to produce tracks extending around a part of the outer side of a gear of the outer circle, to around a part of the inner side of the next gear of the outer circle, then around a part of the outer side of a gear of the inner circle and then around a part of the inner side of the next gear of the inner circle so that a spindle or bobbin carrier unit moves from the outer side to the inner side of the two circles of gears by passing around parts of four gears or the four discs or plates associated with such gears and then travels from the inner side to the outer side of the two circles of gears by passing around parts of four gears and the four discs and plates associated with such gears. The tracks thus provided ensure that the spindle or like units travel therein naturally so that no switches or transfer devices are necessary Where the unit passes from one gear to another. One set of spindles travel in one direction and another in the opposite direction around the machine.

The gear wheels and the discs or plates associated therewith having the slots or notches therein serve to advance the spindle or bobbin carrier units around the machine.

The spindle or bobbin carrier units employed in our machine are of the form illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7, and each comprises a bobbin carrying spindle which is prevented from rotating while a pawl p pivoted at q is in engagement with a ratchet wheel r secured to the spindle. When yarn or wire passing through the guides v to the collecting head s (Figure 2) is under tension, the pawl p is removed from the ratchet wheel r so that yarn can pass to the collecting head. The yarn in passing from the bobbin 0 to the guide 11 travels over a fixed guide 20 under a guide wheel 11 movable on a spindle 13 against or with the pressure of a spring 14, over a fixed guide wheel 12 and then under a guide wheel 15, also movable with guide wheel 11. This arrangement enables any slack in the yarn to be readily taken up by the movement of the guides 11 and 15 as the spindle unit travels from the outer to the inner edges of the circle of gears. The base of the spindle unit has a groove or channel t around an elongated part n which travels in the tracks indicated in Figures 1, 3, and 4; the edges of the diverter plates g and i, the star plates k and the plates m, n which together form the tracks through which the spindle units travel around the machine coming into the groove or channel 1. The pin or plug 3 on the base of each unit is adapted to travel in the notches or slots in the plates b and e.

In Figure 3, the arrows indicate the direction of travel of the two sets of spindle units, alternate units travelling in opposite directions. It will be appreciated that this figure also shows the crossing or interlocking points of the yarn or wire and the general pattern of such yarn or wire in the braid.

Each of the gear wheels :1 and d (see Figure 1) has a passage w coaxial therethrough through which a yarn or Wire can be passed and led to the collecting head s (Figure 2) so that it forms a core around which yarn or wire from the spindle or bobbin carrier units is wound. like wise a vertical passage x is provided up through each star plate k so that core yarns or wires can, if desired, be fed up such passages to the collecting head.

The braid produced on our improved machine has a thicker wall of interlocked yarn or Wire than can be produced by present machines in a single operation. The core yarns or wire before referred to when such are used may be electric leads which are being assembled into a multi-core electric cable in our improved machine.

In Figures 1 and 2, there are 12 gears in the outer rier units in the machine at one time, each with a bobbin thereon, so that every second or alternate slot or notch c has a carrier unit pin 3 in engagement therewith. It will be appreciated that the circumferential distance between the notches in all the gears must be the same.

A power shaft 4, Figures 1 and 2, can drive all the outer circle or all the inner circle of gears. Each outer gear or each inner gear drives an inner or an outer gear respectively as before referred to.

Figure 4 shows diagrammatically the paths of spindles or bobbin carriers in a braiding machine with three coaxial circles of horn gears in which each spindle and bobbin carrier unit travels around the outer half of an outer circle gear (say 5, Figure 4) then around approximately a quarter of the inner circumference of the next outer gear 6 (Figure 4), then around approximately a quarter of the outer circumference of the intermediate gear 7 in engagement with said gear 6, then around approximately one quarter of the inner circumference of the next intermediate gear 8, then around approximately one third of the inner circle gear 9 with which the gear 8 is in engagement, then around the next inner circle gear 10 to the outer circumference of the next inner circle gear 50. The spindle unit then travels from the inner circle of gears to the outer circle in a similar manner.

Core threads or wires can be passed up the vertical passages w and x as in the Figure 3 arrangement. The braid produced has a considerable wall thickness with all the strands interlocked. Production is continuous and at a rapid rate.

In the machine with three circles of gears all intermeshing with one another, the outer circle of gears may have five notches or slots, the inner gears three notches or slots and the intermediate circle of gears four notches or slots. The ratio of the gear notches is 5:4:3 as between the 'outer circle gears, the intermediate circle and the inner circle. In the arrangement illustrated there will be 144 spindle or bobbin carrier units, that is one in every alternate notch.

By reason of the ratio of notches in the various gears, every strand of material where it emerges to the outer periphery of the braid, which may be concentrated at s (Figure 2) to the desired form, passes over two strands of the material travelling in the opposite direction and then travels to and emerges at the inner periphery, where it again passes over two strands travelling in the opposite direction. We therefore produce a double or triple criss-cross braid symmetrical in every Way.

What we claim is:

l. A braiding machine of the type referred to comprising a plurality of concentric circles of horn gears, with each gear in the outer circle in driving connection with a gear in the inner circle, fixed diverter plates coaxial with the gears, fixed star plates in the spaces between the gears, guide plates within the area bounded by the inner circle of gears and outside the area bounded by the outer circle of gears, the diverter plates, star plates and guide plates producing tracks, the notches of the horn gears being so positioned relatively to one another and to the diverter plates and star plates, that a plurality of even number of spindle units pass successively through tracks from the outer to the inner circle of gears, one half of the number of spindle units passing continuously in one circular direction and the other half of the number of spindle units passing continuously in the other circular direction, spindle units moving in one circular direction alternating at crossing points with the spindle units moving in the other circular direction, the ratio of notches in the outer circle of gears to the notches in the inner circle of gears being 5 to 3. 2. A braiding machine as claimed in claim 1, in which there are at least four spindle units in each track between any successive positions at which the track comes to the outer face of the co-axial circles of gears.

3. A braiding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which each horn gear has a passage co-axially therethrough through which a core yarn can be passed.

4. A braiding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which each star plate has a vertical passage extending therethrough for a core yarn.

5. A braiding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which an intermediate circle of gears is arranged between the 5 an even number not less than four.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,740,316 Crossley et al. Apr. 3, 1956 

